Rutttman On Pole

AUTO RACING

March 16, 1997

JOE RUTTMAN, who hadn't won a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole position since 1995, raced his Ford to the No. 1 starting position Saturday for the Florida Dodge Dealers 400. The top 30 qualifiers for today's race broke the track record at the Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex.

Ruttman, 52, who won the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway on Jan. 19, extended his record as the series' oldest pole winner with an average speed of 140.221 mph around the 1 1/2 -mile superspeedway. His late qualifying lap, in a field of 52 drivers, pushed rookie Boris Said and his Ernie Irvan-owned Ford off the provisional pole. Chuck Brown, Ruttman's teammate, will start third.

Jeff Green won the pole position for the race in qualifying Friday with a lap of 159.311. Greg Sacks was second-fastest Saturday to earn the 27th spot.

ROBBY GORDON BUSY

ROBBY GORDON, a certain bet to be the busiest athlete in America on Memorial Day weekend, tested his Indy Racing League car on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The 28-year-old former Indy-car star who now drives full time on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, toured the 1.5-mile track in 26.50 seconds for his best lap at 203.77 mph.

On May 25, Gordon will drive in the Indianapolis 500, then hop a jet to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Both races will be contested in cars owned by Sabco Racing. ''I'm pretty satisfied with our first shakedown,'' said Gordon, who plans to test the IRL car for three days this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.